maybe it's not over
by Spacedoutwrites
Summary: Everyone lost someone in the snap. Except Tony. Which is ironic because fate has never been kind to him. But it's been even less kind to Peter. (AKA everything's the same in Endgame, but Peter survived the snap, so actually it's not the same at all.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tony

Titan- moments before the snap

Tony groaned as Thanos disappeared. He turned to Strange, "Why would you do that?" he asked.

Strange just gave him a haunted look, "We're in the Endgame now."

Tony sprayed his stab wound with a sealant, staunching the bleeding for now. He knew he needed to get up, to do something, but what was there left to do? They just lost. He could only hope that Vision and the others could keep the last stone safe from Thanos, which, at this point, seemed pretty hopeless. He sat there dumbly; he had never felt this defeated in his entire life. Not in the cave in Afghanistan. Not stumbling through the snow in Tennessee. Not even laying alone in Siberia with a cracked arc reactor and an unwanted shield. This seemed like a loss that there was no coming back from. If Thanos succeeded, if half of the universe died, then what? Iron Man couldn't save them. The Avengers could avenge them, but what was the point? Maybe Tony would be part of the fifty percent that didn't have to deal with the consequences, he almost hoped-

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark, oh my gosh, are you okay?" Peter came barreling toward him. "You were fighting him off and it was so cool! You made him bleed and everything! But… but then he stabbed you and-"

"I'm alright kid," Tony said. He was lying. He felt very much not alright, but he would rather calm Peter down than upset him even more. Tony tapped the housing unit on his chest and the remaining nano units rushed away, leaving him in only his tracksuit.

Peter reached out a hand and carefully helped him to his feet.

Tony winced. With the adrenaline quickly rushing away, every cut and bruise he had received from Thanos throbbed with pain.

The others were helping each other up and coming toward them when the weird antennae lady tensed. "Something's happening," she said, and just like that, she completely disintegrated.

Everyone looked at each other in panic as Drax and Quill also turned to dust.

Tony turned to Stephen, wanting so badly to shout at him. Why had he given up the stone for him? Now everyone around him was dying because of it. If they had kept the stone safe like they agreed to, none of this would be happening.

Seeming to know exactly what he was thinking, Strange just shook his head. "Tony, there was no other way." And he too turned to dust.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked.

Tony turned, expecting the worst. The fear in Peter's eyes mirrored his own as they stumbled toward each other.

"I'm so scared, Tony," Peter whimpered.

Tony wrapped his arms tightly around the boy. Peter's face pressed into the side of his neck, anchoring them both to reality. They stood there, each waiting for the other to fall apart in their desperate embrace. Time seemed to freeze, they could have stood there for days. After what was really only a few minutes, they pulled apart, realizing that they had both survived. Tony gently reached out a hand and wiped a tear from Peter's cheek, even as he held back tears of his own. He just stared at Peter, reveling in the fact that at least he had survived. If Tony had had to watch Peter turn to dust with everyone else, he thought he would've fallen apart, never to be put back together again.

"He did it," the blue lady said grimly, sinking to the ground. She slumped in the dirt; staring at the ashes of her friends.

Tony also sat back down, his strength leaving him all at once.

Peter looked around them. "What did he do exactly?"

"He wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures," she said.

"Like, back on Earth too?" Peter asked, the pitch of his voice rising in fear.

"Everywhere." she replied.

Peter turned to Tony, "What about everyone back home? What if they- what if my aunt is gone? And Ned and MJ and all of my friends? What if we get there and they're all gone? What are we gonna do?" His eyes were getting misty again and his voice cracked on the last question.

Tony would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't thinking the exact same thing about Pepper and Rhodey and Happy, but now wasn't a good time to think about it. As much as he wanted to despair, he knew the kid needed him to be strong, so that's what he was going to be. "Well, first things first, we have to get home," he said far more confidently then he felt. "Hey, Avatar, do you have a way for us to get back to Earth?"

The blue lady turned to him, "my ship was destroyed on entry, but Quill's ship should be here, we can use it to get off this cursed planet." She got up and walked away, presumably to find the ship.

Tony tried to get to his feet, but pain shot through his whole body and he collapsed back to the ground. He glanced down at the spot where Thanos had run him through with his own weapon, but his vision blurred and he was forced to lay his head back on the rocks. Hands closed around his own and the ringing in his ears drowned out what he thought was Peter's voice. So much for being strong for the kid he thought as he faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Tony came to, he was lying on a bed and for a moment he thought that maybe it had all been just another nightmare. They weren't uncommon for him, especially the kind where it was his fault that the entire universe died. Ever since New York, the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders and it only ever got heavier. But, as he tried to sit up, the ache that he felt in his side and his head reassured him that, unfortunately, he hadn't just dreamed the whole thing.

As he became more aware, he realized he wasn't on a bed, but more of a bench, and he had some kind of strange IV stuck in his arm.

"Hey, you're awake!" Peter appeared over Tony, no longer in his Spider-Man suit, but in a t-shirt that seemed a little too big for him.

"Where are we?" Tony asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"We're on Quill's ship, he calls it the Benatar."

Tony just stared at him.

"You know, like 'hit me with your best shot,'" Peter sang.

Tony snorted, "Pete, I know who Pat Benatar is."

The boy ignored him, "the ship was damaged when Thanos threw that moon at us, but Nebula and I have been working to fix it up and it should get us out of here!"

"Great work kid," Tony said.

Nebula came in and started silently messing with the IV bag.

Tony watched her. "You know, I feel like you're constantly glaring at me. Are you always this angry?"

Nebula stopped and stared at him, "no," she said quietly and went back to what she was doing.

Tony started rambling, only vaguely aware of what he was saying. "I have a friend who's always angry, or at least that's what he says. His name is Bruce, I think you two would get along nicely." Tony realized that there was a distinct possibility he would never see Bruce again, not if he'd disappeared along with everyone else, but he quickly tucked that thought away to the back of his mind, saving it for another day, like, hopefully never. "How long was I out?" he asked to change the subject.

"About 18 hours," Nebula said. The medication I gave you helped you sleep and should assist in the healing process, but our supplies are limited so I'm going to have to take you back off of the meds for now."

Tony nodded.

"I'll let you get cleaned up, Quill's cabin is through that door," she said pointing, "you're welcome to any of his clothes."

"Thanks," Tony said.

Peter helped him up and led him through the door. "Turns out Star-Lord has a pretty cool sense of style," he piped up, "you should be jealous."

"I really doubt that," Tony muttered.

He picked out a simple tee and the only pair of pants he could find that weren't made of leather. Cool sense of style my foot, who still wears leather pants?

"How are the repairs going?" he asked Peter.

Peter grimaced, "the fuel cells were cracked during the battle."

Tony sighed, "that can't be good news."

"No, but I think there might be a way to reverse the ion charge. Nebula agrees, and I think we're getting pretty close, but we haven't quite figured it out yet."

Tony's eyebrows lifted of their own volition and he nodded thoughtfully. "So you're an intergalactic space travel expert now?"

Peter blushed, "I wouldn't say that, Nebula's just a really good teacher."

Tony chuckled, "always so modest. Now get out of here, I need to change."

Peter turned to leave, but Tony cleared his throat.

"I'm really glad you're here kid," he said.

Peter smiled, "me too, Mr. Stark."

* * *

When he'd finished changing, Tony climbed down to the engine room where he found Peter and Nebula hard at work. The ship they were on was filthy, but after meeting its owners, he wasn't exactly surprised. "How's it going down here?" he asked.

Peter looked up at him and wrinkled his nose, "still working on the fuel cells."

"Let me take a look," Tony said, coming up beside him.

Peter yawned, quickly trying to cover it up by turning away from Tony.

Tony glared at him accusingly, "have you slept in the last 18 hours?"

Peter shrugged, "haven't had the time."

"Kid!" Tony cried. "Go!"

"But-"

"No buts, go lay down in one of the bunks right now, you're running on fumes."

"Okay dad," Peter grumbled sarcastically.

Tony just shook his head as he watched Peter disappear up the ladder. He turned to Nebula, "alright, show me the fuel cells."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Peter

Space- 4 days after the snap

Tony had reversed the ion charge, just like Peter had thought he would. It had only taken him about 5 hours too. Their goal had been to make it to the nearest jump point and make their way to Earth from there, but the ship was running at 20% capacity and after 48 hours, they had run out of fuel. They were stranded. In the middle of nowhere. In space. Peter had to stop looking out the viewports because he felt like having an existential crisis every time he did. Instead, he spent his time flopped on the top bunk of one of the beds in the crew cabin, staring at the ceiling.

They had been floating aimlessly for the last 24 hours and Peter was already bored out of his mind. Boredom led to thinking, overthinking to be more specific. About Thanos and the snap. About who would be left. Agonizing over the fact that, statistically, there was no way that everyone he cared about had survived. He endlessly looped through possibilities, what if May was gone, what if Ned was gone, what if both of them were gone. They couldn't both be gone, right? They each had a fifty percent chance. Those weren't the worst odds, right?

Peter tried to imagine his life without May or Ned. He would have no one left, nowhere to turn. Where was he going to go? He didn't want to live in the apartment alone, not without May. He couldn't go to Ned's house, but he wouldn't have any other choices.

Peter was on his feet now, panic and dread coursing through his entire body. He paced around the room and into the main cabin of the ship. His breath started coming too quickly and he felt like he couldn't regain control of it. His vision began to swim as tears filled his eyes. His muscles felt shaky, like any second he would collapse on the floor.

What if no one is waiting for you when you get home. What if you're all alone in this world. Again.

He was gasping for air now, but he felt like his lungs were being squeezed inside his chest. The lights inside the ship felt too bright and the silence around him made his head buzz. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he let out an involuntary cry of frustration and fear as he fell to his knees. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he had no control over his own body anymore. Air. He needed air. But no matter what he did, not enough air would come. He sobbed on the floor, curling in on himself.

Next to him, Peter heard a calm, quiet voice, "Pete? It's Tony, I'm sitting right beside you. Is it okay if I put my hand on your shoulder?"

Peter barely nodded, still hyperventilating and gasping.

Tony's hand gently pressed onto Peter's shoulder. He stayed quiet, but his presence felt like a calm in the storm. Eventually, Peter breathed more deeply and the sobbing slowed to quiet hiccuping.

Tony put his hands on both of Peter's shoulders and eased him into a sitting position. "It's a lot to deal with, I know. I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this."

Peter shook his head, "No Mr. Stark, this isn't your fault. You told me to go home and I didn't listen."

Tony closed his eyes and sighed deeply. When he opened them, he spoke more with far more sincerity than Peter had come to expect from him. "I don't just mean to space, Pete, I mean the whole superhero business. It's messy and it's hard and it's nothing a teenager should have to deal with." The remorse in Tony's eyes left Peter speechless for a moment.

"I always wanted to be like you," he said finally. "Ever since I was a kid, I thought you were the coolest guy around. I thought that if I could be like you, I could help people like you do, make a real difference. But now that I'm Spider-man, I just… I didn't realize how hard it would be. To know that no matter what you do, you can't save everyone. And now I failed and everyone's gone and I may not have anyone to go home to. And if I just could've gotten that gauntlet off of his stupid hand, everything would still be okay." Tears were still trickling down his face.

Tony wrapped his arms around Peter, letting Peter rest his forehead against his shoulder. "Don't do that to yourself, kid. We all wish we had done something different. It always feels like there's just one thing that could have changed everything, but it's not true. None of this is your fault."

Peter lifted his head up to look at him, "But what if we get back and they're all gone? What if I don't have anywhere to go?"

Tony's face scrunched in confusion, "Peter, even if we get back to Earth and there's no one there to meet us, you know I'll take care of you, right?"

"Mr. Stark, the last thing you want to deal with is a wreck of a teenager like me," Peter said, his eyes lowering to the ground.

Tony gently tilted Peter's chin back up to look at him. "Kid, please don't tell me you believe that."

Peter didn't respond.

"Oh, kid," Tony pulled Peter close again. "Not only do I want to deal with a teenager like you, I want to deal with you . And you're not a wreck. We all have bad days, some of us more than others, but I really do care about you, Peter."

Peter hated that he was crying again, but at the same time, hearing those words out of his beloved mentor's mouth was the comfort he'd truly been craving. The knowledge that, no matter what they came home to, someone was there for him. He wouldn't have to fend for himself because Mr. Stark would be there.

They rested like that for a while, and Peter wasn't the only one being comforted by someone who cared about him.

When they pulled apart, Peter blushed, "I'm sorry Mr. Stark, I didn't mean to have a total meltdown like that."

"Don't apologize," Tony said, "I've had my fair share of panic attacks and total meltdowns, they're nothing to be ashamed of."

Peter cocked his head, "you've had panic attacks?"

"Yeah, I have, like I said the whole hero gig is hard. We all deal with it differently and that's okay."

Peter just looked at Tony in awe. How he could have so much confidence in admitting his weakness, Peter didn't understand. Somehow it just made him seem even stronger and more heroic than before.

Tony moved to stand up, but immediately sat back down, blinking hard.

"Mr. Stark, are you okay?" Peter asked, suddenly concerned.

Tony swallowed hard, "yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just hungry."

Peter helped Tony stand and they made their way into the kitchen. They had divided up the food into small portions, trying to ration it out for as long as it would last. They had no idea how long they were going to be up here and the last thing they needed was to run out of food.

They each took a portion and heated it up. The freeze dried space food didn't taste very good, and honestly, Peter had no idea what most of it was. He tried not to think about it.

When they finished eating and stood up again, Tony's hand involuntarily went to his side.

"Mr. Stark, are you sure you're okay?" Peter asked, but Tony didn't respond. "Mr. Stark?"

The man looked up at him, his face pale and beaded with sweat.

"Tony?"

In response, Tony collapsed to the ground.

Peter dropped to the ground beside him. "Nebula!" he cried. "Nebula, Mr. Stark needs help!"

Nebula rushed into the room and knelt beside Tony. She inspected him for a moment and then shook her head, "I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?" Peter asked, voice cracking.

"His wound is infected. It'll have to run its course"

"Will he be okay?"

"He should be able to pull through, he's strong for a Terran. Help me carry him back to his bed."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, thanks for hanging in there! I've been working hard to plan for whumptober, so after this chapter, I'm probably going to take a little break from this fic for the month. I'd love it if you read my new works, I'm super excited about what I've been working on. As always, a comment would totally make my day, so feel free to comment away :) Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

Tony

Space- 6 days after the snap

When Tony drifted back into consciousness, everything felt wrong. Pain radiated from his side, all the way through the rest of his body, pulsating with the beat of his heart. He felt so hot, as though, at any moment, flames would break through the surface of his skin, burning him from the inside out. When he tried to open his eyes, all he saw were blurs of light and dark. He was so confused and disoriented, he had no clue where he was. His first thought was a flash of that infamous cave, the one where Iron Man was born, but that didn't seem right.

He opened his eyes again, everything still out of focus. He needed to get up and figure out what was going on, so he slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, grunting in pain. His head pounded and his stomach churned, nausea threatening to knock him right back out again.

Suddenly, a shape was rushing toward him.

"Hey, hey, hey," a voice said, but the pressure in Tony's head made the voice sound like it was underwater.

Hands were easing him back down.

"It's okay, you're safe. You just need to rest now."

As much as Tony wanted to resist, to find out exactly where he was, something about the voice was comforting. It seemed familiar, but his hazy brain couldn't figure out why. All he knew was that it made him feel safe and comfortable, and before he knew it, he was unconscious again.

* * *

The next time Tony woke up, he was a little more aware.

Music was playing softly throughout the ship. It sounded like an old seventies tune, which he approved of.

Peter was nearby, studying some alien tech that Tony was unable to identify.

He squinted at the gray camo Peter was wearing, "Is that my jacket?"

Peter jumped, looking up at him. "You're awake!"

"And you," Tony propped himself up on his elbow, "didn't answer my question."

"Umm…" Peter hesitated.

"It looks good on you, kid," Tony said before he could explain himself. The way Peter's eyes lit up made him smile. "How long was I out?"

"It's been five days since you first passed out," Peter said.

Tony swore. "What happened?"

"Your wound got infected," Peter explained. "I was really worried for a couple of days there." He looked at the ground, "didn't know if you'd pull through or not."

Tony grimaced, "that bad, huh?"

Peter nodded. "Your temp was 105° at one point. I-" he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Come here, kid," Tony said, sitting up fully.

Peter sat on the edge of the bed and gently leaned into Tony, wrapping his arms lightly around him. Tony rested his head on top of Peter's and they stayed there for a while.

When they pulled apart, Peter stood up. "Let me take a look at your stitches."

Tony pulled his shirt up enough to see his side, red, but clearly healing. "Who stitched me up?" He asked.

"Neb did," Peter said, "thank goodness, I'm the worst with stitches."

Tony looked at Peter suspiciously. "How would you know that?"

Peter rubbed the back of his neck, "I've fixed myself up a time or two."

Tony flopped back onto the bed, covering his face with his hand. "I don't even want to know," he groaned.

"No, you definitely don't," Peter said quickly.

Tony sighed, his eyelids were starting to feel heavy again.

"You should get some rest."

Tony just nodded sleepily as he drifted off again.

* * *

When Tony woke up again, Nebula was there instead of Peter. He sat up and she immediately handed him a glass of water.

"I'll go wake up Peter," she said, turning to leave.

"Wait," Tony said before she could go. "Has he been sleeping much?"

She shook her head, "he's barely left your side this whole week."

"Let him sleep then," Tony said.

Nebula looked like she was going to argue, but he stopped her.

"If he's upset about it, I'll take the fall, I just want him to rest."

She nodded. "You've raised him well, Stark."

Tony paused, "I- I what?"

"I asked him if you were his father," she explained. "He said not exactly, but he doesn't have one, so you act like one to him."

Tony softened, "oh," was all he could think to say.

"He cares about you a lot, more than any of my siblings ever cared for our father."

Tony snorted. "Well, no offense, but your dad's a bit of a homicidal maniac so I can't imagine that's very endearing."

"No," Nebula sighed, "It's not."

She gave him a little food and changed some of his bandages. She worked in silence, intensely focused on what she was doing.

Tony thought he might start drifting off again, when the ship began shuddering violently.

He heard a thump from the other room. "I got it!" came Peter's voice, rough with sleep.

The boy streaked through the room and into the engine room, clearly shirtless and wearing only a pair of boxers.

Tony could only look to Nebula, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"We've been diverting power from systems that aren't in use to prolong our reserve fuel," Nebula explained. "At this rate we'll have oxygen for another week, but we could get a few more days out of it if we adjust our usage correctly."

The shuddering finally stopped and Peter appeared in the engine room doorway, hair sticking up in every direction. "I guess we can't drop the power to stabilizers below thirty percent after all," he said. "I think next we should try turning down-" he stopped in the middle of his sentence, staring at Tony. "Why didn't you wake me up?!" he cried.

"I told her not to," Tony said. "Don't yell at her for it."

Peter hurried over to his side. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you still feel feverish?"

"He's doing much better Peter," Nebula informed him.

Peter grinned, "That's great!"

"I took him off of the sedatives and antibiotics," she continued. "His wound is healing, he's still weak, but he's not in danger anymore."

Tony wished he could bottle up Peter's smile and keep it for a rainy day. It was so bright and lively and infectious, he never wanted it to go away.

Peter lifted up a hand and Nebula gave him a high five, something Tony never thought he would see.

Peter turned to Tony, "I've been teaching Neb about Earth," he said. "By the time we get home, she'll know all the slang."

Tony laughed, it hurt his side, but it was worth it. "Good job, kid," he said. "Why don't you put some clothes on so we can talk?"

Peter looked down, only just realizing that he was still in his underwear. He blushed. "I'll be right back," he said, dashing back into the crew cabin.

Tony turned to Nebula, "you two have quite the little bond going on," he said.

Nebula looked at him, she still seemed emotionless, but the tiniest hint of a smile crossed her face. "He is very talkative," she said. "It would be impossible not to bond with him."

Tony laughed again, "that's Peter for you."


End file.
